British Virgin Islands 2013 John F. Kennedy Coins

The Treasury of the British Virgin Islands have launched (17th September) three coins which remember the 50th year of the untimely death of America’s 35th President, John F Kennedy. Inaugurated on the 20th January 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the youngest man ever to be elected President of the United States, previously a congressman from the 11th district of Massachusetts from 1947 to 1953, he was then elected to the Senate and served in this capacity until his election to the presidency in 1960. Together, with his glamorous wife Jacqueline Bouvier whom he married in the same year he was elected to the senate, and their two young children Caroline and John Jr., they were America’s ideal First couple and had captured the imagination not only of young America, but of the world.

As well as being America’s youngest man elected to the highest office in the land, he was the first Irish-Catholic President, and in June 1963, he traveled to his ancestral homeland of Ireland, a homecoming he later described as one of the most moving experiences of his life. All eight of Kennedy’s great-grandparents migrated to Boston, Massachusetts during the devastating Potato Famine of the late 1840s, hoping to take advantage of the opportunities being offered in America. On 28th June, the President was invited to address a joint session of the Seanad (the Upper House of the Irish Parliament) and the Dail (the Lower House of the Irish Parliament). His speech was full of references to Irishmen who fought in the American War of Independence and he championed the important place for small nations in the pursuit of world peace. 2013 is also the 50th Anniversary of this visit which was observed in Ireland earlier this year with a visit by his daughter Caroline and his youngest sister Jean Kennedy Smith.

President Kennedy’s life was unexpectedly cut short on the 22nd November 1963 when assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, a former US marine had shot at the President while he was traveling in a motorcade in Dallas Texas in order to appear at an election rally. The President’s death was announced to a stunned world and the country began to mourn its young and dynamic leader who had been taken all too soon. The president had been the American head of state for just 1036 days in total but had made such an extraordinary impact not only on the US but internationally. He will be eternally remembered for his stirring speech in Berlin and the phrase “Ich bin ein Berliner” to the inspiring question he posed to all the world on the day of his inauguration “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country” which resonates in the ears of many to this day.

The coins, struck by the Pobjoy Mint, UK are reminiscent of the ever-popular and much loved American half dollar which was issued in 1964 as both a tribute and memorial to the slain president.

The reverse carries a portrait of John F Kennedy and also a Coat of Arms. This Coat of Arms was presented to the President at the White House on St Patrick’s Day in 1961 by T J Kiernan, the then Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland on behalf of the Irish Government. This was an unprecedented event as never before had a foreign sovereign nation made such a grant to an American President. The obverse of the coin shows an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS.

Denomination

Metal

Weight

Diameter

Quality

Mintage

Ten Dollars

.925 silver

28.2 grams

38.6 mm.

Proof

10,000 pieces

Four Dollars

.999 gold

28.2 grams

38.5 mm.

BU

One Dollar

Cupro-nickel

.05 gram

11 mm.

Proof

unlimited

Available in BU Cupro-Nickel, Proof Sterling Silver and 1/2gm Fine Gold, the coins are struck to the highest quality with the precious metal versions being produced with a stunning ‘proof’ finish.

For more information on this and other coins issued by the Treasury of the British Virgin Islands, please visit the website of the Pobjoy Mint at: http://www.pobjoy.com/ukworld/section.php/1011/1 Information offered in English – international orders fulfilled.

Related posts:

Coin Update is not a retail website. If you wish to buy a coin or banknote, you should contact a reputable dealer. One of our sponsors (see ads at right and top of page) may also have what you’re looking for, so be sure to check out their websites.

Per policy, we do not advise on the value, authenticity, or rarity of readers’ coins and banknotes. For this kind of assistance, you should contact a reputable dealer, preferably one who’s certified by the American Numismatic Association and/or the Professional Numismatists Guild.

Vulgar and/or abusive comments will not be tolerated. Nor will trolls.

Allegations of fraudulent or criminal activity against a named party, when said activity has not been proven in a court of law, will be removed.

Categories

More Recent Articles

By Gabriel Leif Bellman A surprise 2017 release from the Mexican Mint comes to us in kilo silver. The first surprise is that the 2017 kilo silver Libertad is the key to the series. With a mintage of just 200, it is the lowest minted Libertad to date. That includes all Libertads, in both silver and […]

The Isle of Man Post Office (IOMPO) reinforces the message of peace, love, and happiness this festive season by giving its customers an opportunity to purchase the IOM government treasury’s 2017 Christmas £5 coin, which features a dove — a well-known and universal symbol of peace. The £5 coin depicts a very familiar image of […]

The U.S. Mint is excited to announce a new checkout feature. Registered U.S. Mint customers can pay with PayPal. For more information on linking PayPal to your U.S. Mint account, see the new FAQ below. While you’re on the Mint’s website, don’t forget to check out their Holiday Gift Guide. However you choose to pay — […]

The United States Mint has announced (December 11) pricing for the 2018 World War I Centennial Silver Dollar products as follows: Coin Introductory Price Regular Price World War I Centennial Proof Silver Dollar $51.95 $56.95 World War I Centennial Uncirculated Silver Dollar $48.95 $53.95 World War I Centennial Silver Dollar and Air Service Medal Set […]

The press office of the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, the official residence of the former Romanian royal family, have announced the death of Romania’s former King Michael, who passed away after a lengthy illness at the age of 96. The royal family’s statement indicated that Michael died at his long-time home in Switzerland, where he […]

18th-century colonial America (and even into the 19th-century) saw a wide variety of coins in circulation to satisfy monetary demand. Many of these early American and American-related coinage are very rare and highly demanded by colonial coin specialists (such as the crudely struck 1652 New England coinage). For collectors on a budget of say, $100, […]

The late, great, Ed Reiter once called Q. David Bowers a “one-man library” due to his propensity to not only produce a massive amount of content, but to imbue each and every article, column, or book with quality as well. Commencing Wednesday, January 3, 2018, Coin Update and Mint News Blog will have the pleasure […]

The Royal Mint has launched (4th December) one of the latest coins which is part of the ongoing and popular series entitled “The Queen’s Beasts.” This latest coin is one of ten heraldic Queen’s Beasts that can be seen cropping up through centuries of British Heraldry. Each beast has its own special story to tell […]

Before sharing an interview with GreatCollections President Ian Russell concerning his company’s practice of providing honest numismatic photos, I want to discuss the dishonesty and risk of buying coins with altered or poor photos. Here’s a poor photo of a coin that I took a risk with, bidding based on a Proxibid lot that didn’t […]